Questions - so many questions!
proplever
Putting your anti Impulse feelings aside for one moment, I would be interested to know (in your opinion) what remuneration mainline pilots would accept to crew a LOW COST airline that needs to be competitive with the other LOW COST airline - Virgin Blue.
Do you not think that QF would have achieved its desired cost base in another way (with a brand new company / contract pilots perhaps) if the Qantas 717 pilots had not got involved?
IMO Qantas was always likely to respond with its own LCC. Can you tell me how mainline pilots would have structured (in a competitive way) such an offshoot to Qantas.
Did you note that I referred to them as Qantas 717 pilots? When Qantas purchased Impulse they became Qantas employees. Over the years, hundreds of airlines, each with their different entry requirements have integrated successfully (Ansett did it many times over the years). Why couldn't your colleagues manage it? Could no one see the benefits of integration? Wouldn't junior mainline/intl pilots enjoy the lifestyle/flying potentially offered by the 717 fleet if it would speed up promotion opportunities?
To me it seems that the "FU - I'm all right jack" syndrome that you happily criticise others for, is exactly the reason you and your mainline/intl colleagues are now under pressure.